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Data Exchange Standards

education and the exchange of education data. This article collects links to The Ed-Fi Alliance coordinates and publishes community-led standards for resources and key publications.

Ed-Fi Data Standards​

The Ed-Fi Data Standard is the widely adopted, CEDS-aligned, open-source data standard developed by the educational community for the betterment of the community. The Ed-Fi Data Standard serves as the foundation for enabling interoperability among secure data systems and contains a Unifying Data Model designed to capture the meaning and inherent structure in the most important information in the K–12 education enterprise.

Ed-Fi API Standards​

An Ed-Fi compatible API application creates a REST-based interface for data exchange, where the messages conform to the Ed-Fi Data Standard. The Ed-Fi ODS/API is the Ed-Fi Alliance's core API product, used by nearly all "Ed-Fi deployments." Any interested party can build an alternate, compatible, application, by adhering to the Open API specifications and guidance provided in Ed-Fi API Guidelines.

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For guidance on building an Ed-Fi compatible API application, please see Ed-Fi API Guidelines.

Resources​

Standard Information & Publications​

  • What do we mean by "standards?" The Ed-Fi is a Data Standard article on our main website has an overview.
  • This space contains additional documentation and technical specifications for our published standards; see the additional articles in the left sidebar.
  • Ed-Fi data exchange standards are aligned with the reference standards published in the Ed-Fi Data Standard space. In particular, the Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model is a helpful reference to understand the contents and structure of the data exchanges we support.
  • The Ed-Fi RFC Specifications contains work-in-progress specifications. Although the material is still in draft form, the technical specifications are typically implementable. For example, the Ed-Fi community uses this site to publish data exchange specifications for Ed-Fi-related technologies.

Other Resources​

Looking to get involved in the discussion and definition of standards?

  1. Visit the Ed-Fi Community Hub to participate in forums or to create a support case with questions or suggested improvements.
  2. Learn about participation in Ed-Fi's governance structure.